Rescue teams focus on three Nepal hydropower tunnels after glacier flood
Two weeks after a glacier burst killed hundreds, Nepalese teams zero in on three hydropower tunnels where dozens may still be trapped.
Nepal is racing against time to locate workers who may be trapped inside three hydropower tunnels after a glacier collapsed into a river on the border with China on 26 August. The surge buried the entrances of at least 11 projects under mud and debris, cutting off anyone inside. The disaster also swept into neighbouring Tibet, adding to the death toll on both sides of the Himalayas.
Search operation details
According to Dharma Raj Upreti, chief of the country's disaster authority, the priority is the Chilime hydroelectric project, where a canteen, residential quarters and food supplies suggest workers could be inside the tunnel network. "Our search operation is focussed on finding survivors, including in tunnels. Our bigger focus is on the Chilime hydroelectric project, where we believe people are trapped, because there was a canteen, residency and arrangements for food," he told Reuters.
"We know our responsibility and its sensitivity. We are translating the humanitarian spirit of the Nepali people into practice through the search and rescue operation," said Balendra Shah in a social‑media post on Monday.
Rescue teams have also deployed oxygen pipes and new equipment to the interconnected tunnels of the Upper Trishuli 3A and 3B projects. Army officials estimate that up to 121 of the 900 people missing from the affected sites could be inside these shafts, while others may have been working elsewhere at the plants.
Outlook for survivors
So far, four individuals have been pulled alive from the rubble, including a Chinese national rescued from a tunnel on Saturday. The broader disaster has claimed at least 1,399 lives and left more than 5,400 missing across Nepal and Tibet. Both governments have cited climate change as a key factor behind the glacier collapse.
Authorities say the rescue effort will continue unabated, with additional drilling and ventilation work planned to widen access points. The next few days will be critical in determining whether any more trapped workers can be reached before conditions deteriorate further.
